In recent years flash memory has emerged as an important category of memory device, as flash devices combine high density with electrical erasability. Flash memories comprise a plurality of one-transistor flash electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) cells formed on and within a semiconductor substrate. Each cell comprises a P-type conductivity substrate, an N-type conductivity source region formed within the substrate, and an N-type conductivity drain region also formed within the substrate. A floating gate is separated from the substrate by a dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer separates a control gate from the floating gate. A P-type channel region within the substrate is interposed between the source and drain. The control gate of the cell is formed from a word line, and a plurality of cells are along each word line such that one word line controls a plurality of cells. A digit line interconnects the drain regions of a plurality of cells.
Various voltages are associated with a flash cell, as shown in FIG. 1. To program a flash cell the drain region and the control gate are raised to predetermined potentials above the potential applied to the source region. For example 12 volts is applied to the control gate, 0.0 volts is applied to the source, and 6.0 volts is applied to the drain. These voltages produce "hot electrons" which are accelerated from the substrate across the dielectric layer to the floating gate. This hot electron injection results in an increase of the threshold voltage (the voltage which must be applied between the source, drain, and control gate for the cell to conduct) by approximately two to four volts.
To erase a flash cell a high positive potential, for example 12 volts, is applied to the source region, the control gate is grounded, and the drain is allowed to float. These voltages are applied for a timed period, and the longer the period the more the cell becomes erased. A strong electric field develops between the floating gate and the source region, and negative charge is extracted from the floating gate to the source region, for example by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. If an unprogrammed flash EEPROM cell in an array of such cells is repeatedly erased under these conditions, the floating gate will eventually acquire a more positive potential. Consequently, even with the control gate being grounded the cell will always be turned on. This causes column leakage current thereby preventing the proper reading of any other cell in the column of the array containing this cell as well as making programming of the other cells on the same column increasingly more difficult. This condition, referred to as "over-erase," is disadvantageous since the data programming characteristics of the memory cell is deteriorated so as to cause endurance failures.
To determine if a cell is programmed, the magnitude of the read current is measured, for example by grounding the source, applying about 5.0 volts to the control gate, and applying between 1.0 and 2.0 volts to the drain. Under these conditions, an unprogrammed cell will conduct at a current level of about 50 to 100 microamps. The programmed cell will have considerably less current flowing.
To change the content of a flash memory device all cells are programmed and then erased and then selected cells are programmed. By first programming all of the cells and then erasing all cells, over-erasure of any unprogrammed cells is reduced. An over-erase condition must be avoided to prevent a cell from functioning as a depletion transistor in the read mode of operation. During a read mode of an over-erased memory cell an entire column of a sector can be disabled.
An advantage of a flash memory device is that an entire sector of cells can be erased simultaneously as the sources for each cell within the sector are tied together. Some cells, however, erase more quickly than others resulting from manufacturing variations from cell to cell such as the dielectric thickness between the substrate and the floating gate. The flash erase cycle must therefore be optimized for the "average" cell of the entire sector. Some cells will be slightly over-erased while some remain slightly under-erased, and thus a variation in the threshold voltage of the cells in the sector results. A method of erasing cells within a sector which provides for a more uniform threshold voltage distribution would be desirable.